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Sunday, December 30, 2012

For 40 minutes, it looked like Michigan State was taking a giant step forward into the second half. Coming away from this weekend with a tie and a win certainly would be a nice springboard into the rest of the year. For 40 minutes, Michigan State looked like a confident team, controlling the puck, out shooting Michigan, getting good goaltending, and playing solid defense.

Then the third period happened. Michigan scored four unanswered goals to win the 3rd place game at the 2012 GLI. It was only the fourth 4th place finish for Michigan State in their 39 history at the GLI. The last one happened in the 2007 GLI (2007 - 2008 season).

Overall, MSU played five solid periods this weekend, and tonight for two periods actually looked much better than the Western Michigan game. Unfortunately, Michigan really kicked it up a level or three the final period, and the Spartans couldn't respond as the 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit just a couple minutes into the period.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Michigan State was looking for their second straight win this season - which would have been a first on the season. However, it took a late goal by Matt Berry just to force overtime. Berry buried a center pass from Lee Reimer to force a 1-1 tie with just 17 seconds to go in regulation in the GLI semi-finals today.

Neither team would score in overtime, so officially the game goes down as a 1-1 tie. Western Michigan though ended up winning the shoot-out in four shooters to end up in Sunday's championship game. Michigan State will take on the loser of the night cap between Michigan and Michigan Tech on Sunday at 3:30 pm. The game can be seen on Fox Sports Detroit.

Should Michigan State win or tie tomorrow - it would be the longest unbeaten streak of the season.

Overall Thoughts

Western Michigan was the overall better team tonight, but Jake Hildebrand stole the show keeping Western off the board outside of one somewhat fluky bounce off of Chelios' stick and off his own side/stick. It would have been a shame to see MSU lose 1-0, but Lee Remier's great effort in the corner and superb pass to Matt Berry gave the Spartans hope.

And even though Hildebrand maybe wasn't a widely praised recruit - he has come up big in East Lansing this season. Coach Anastos has a building block in net with him. The first line tonight (Deblouw-Berry-Darnell) was very strong tonight. If MSU can get a second line going during the second half, things will get better for MSU.

Michigan State heads down to Detroit this weekend for the 48th annual Great Lakes Invitational. This is Michigan State's 39th trip to the GLI holding a 48-30 all-time record in the tournament with 12 tournament titles (2009 most recent).

Unfortunately, because of the NHL lockout this tournament has been moved back from Comerica Park to Joe Louis Arena. I imagine once the NHL figures things out - Detroit probably will get another winter classic, which means the GLI will be back outdoors that year.

This year's edition of the GLI is an all Michigan edition with Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Western Michigan. The Spartans face-off with Western Michigan today at 3:35 pm. They will play Michigan or Michigan Tech tomorrow at 3:30 (3rd place) or 7:00 pm (championship).

MSU holds a 63-29-8 all-time record against the Broncos. This includes a 2 game sweep last season that surprised a lot of people and really helped Michigan State begin a solid first season under Coach Anastos.

Western Michigan beat Michigan State in their only other GLI meeting back in 1986, a 7-3 game. Western Michigan won the GLI that season.

Western Michigan comes into the weekend posting an impressive 11-4-1 overall mark (8-3-1-1 CCHA, 3rd place). Western was on a six game winning streak before Michigan ended that with a 2-0 victory on December 15th. The Broncos were one of the preseason favorites in the CCHA - and they are right there, though Notre Dame has played fewer games. Western has been dominating at home (8-1-0) this season, but they've been average on the road (3-3-1). Granted, this isn't a true road game, but one wonders if getting outside of the comfort zone of the Lawson Lunatics means their play goes down a little bit. With that said, they did beat Notre Dame and Michigan on the road.

Western Michigan has outscore teams 38-32 this season, but the third period has been the most impressive with an 18-10 edge.

Michigan

The Wolverines come into this tournament as the two time defending champion. They are looking for the first GLI three-peat since Michigan State won four in a row from 1997 - 2000. Michigan is looking at the GLI as a potential spring board for a second half run - and they'll need it to keep their NCAA tournament streak alive. Michigan is 6-9-2 overall (4-7-2-2 CCHA, T-7th place). Michigan has already played four games against GLI teams this year, splitting with both Michigan State and Western Michigan.

Michigan didn't have a great first half, or even a good first half, but they may have found something with their last victory on December 15th against Western. Adam Janecyk played his first game and played very well. Michigan will need some better goaltending if they hope to succeed in the second half of the season. This might just be the spark they need, or another average weekend could simply lead to more questions than answers for Michigan.

Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech enters this GLI tournament looking for their first title since 1980, and their first finals appearance since 2007. The Huskies had a good rebound year last year under first year head coach Mel Pearson. However, things haven't been as rosy this season as Michigan Tech is only 4-10-3 (3-8-3 WCHA, T-10th). Tech is entering the weekend on a seven game winless streak (0-4-3), and they were swept at home against North Dakota in their last outing before the winter break.

It's tough seeing Michigan Tech winning this tournament, but a game wouldn't be out of the question on either day. Michigan is going to need to bring their best effort to beat Michigan Tech, and if the Huskies catch the Wolverines off guard, a win isn't out of the question.

Final Thoughts:

It's tough seeing Michigan State winning this tournament as well, but there is renewed hope in East Lansing following the 3-1 victory over Ferris State, which may have been the team's most complete game of the season. That will certainly act as a confidence builder for the Spartans to throw their best effort at Western Michigan today. While the Broncos might be the favorite in the tournament, it isn't a foregone conclusion that they will come away winners.

This tournament might be more up for grabs than it has been in recent years.

"Our program has been committed to support Branden and his family as he
has gone through the recovery process," said MSU head coach Tom Anastos.
"This news is obviously a disappointment to all of us. However, in the
big picture, Branden will, as I understand it, lead a full life in
which he can participate in normal, everyday activities, as well as
participate in non-contact recreational sports. Many people who have
sustained a similar injury have not been as fortunate to experience such
a recovery, so in spite of the disappointing news that Branden's
playing career is over, we're thrilled that Branden has made such a
remarkable recovery.
Branden is a part of this program and the Michigan State hockey
family, and this medical decision will not change that. Branden is a
Spartan, and we will discuss over the coming weeks what his role will be
with our program day-to-day going forward.

It's certainly nice to see the team end the their first half schedule on a high note. The team performed well tonight for 60 minutes getting quite a few offensive chances despite only getting 22 shots on goal for the game. It's games like this one that show everyone the promise of the program in the near future as the players continue to improve - especially with such a young team.
At the other end of the rink, the defense played very well. The team only gave up 24 shots on goal, held Ferris State to 0 for 3 on the power play (only took four penalties too). Jake Hildebrand was solid in goal once again making 21 saves - and he had no chance on Ferris State's only goal last night in the 2nd period. The defense did a good job limiting the quality chances in front of him too, and this time the team provided enough offensive support.

Chris Forfar scored the game winner on a redirection in front of the net - by going to net he was wide open and was able to slip it past Motte. It's great to see him get scoring, and maybe that will help get him jump started a little bit.

The first period last night was one of the better first periods that Michigan State has played this season (Michigan probably still being the gold standard), but from start to finish this might have been Michigan State's best effort.

And that is very encouraging heading into the break, the GLI, and the second half of the season. This team could be a big mover in the second half - right up the CCHA standings - if they can build upon this effort.

Around the CCHA:

The CCHA continues to show it's tough to get clean sweeps.
Miami at Ohio State. The Buckeyes continue to be a mystery, as Miami was able to earn five of six points this weekend in Columbus. Miami won a shoot-out the first night (1-1 tie), and then they came back and won 3-1 on Saturday.

Western Michigan at Michigan. The two teams split the weekend series at Yost. Western won the first night 4-1, and Michigan finally got in the win column again with a 2-0 win on Saturday.

Northern Michigan at LSSU. LSSU did earn the full six points this weekend by beating Northern 3-1 and 3-0.

Notre Dame at Bowling Green. The Irish continued their winning streak by beating Bowling Green 4-1.

CCHA Standings

GP

W

L

T

SOW

Points

Total Points Possible

Notre Dame

11

10

1

0

0

30

81

Miami

14

8

3

3

3

30

72

Western Michigan

12

8

3

1

1

26

74

Ohio State

12

6

3

3

1

22

70

LSSU

14

7

7

0

0

21

63

Ferris St.

13

6

6

1

0

19

64

Michigan

13

4

7

2

2

16

61

Alaska

14

4

7

3

1

16

58

Michigan State

13

4

8

1

0

13

58

Bowling Green

12

2

7

3

1

10

58

Northern Michigan

14

2

9

3

1

10

52

The first half of the CCHA regular season is in the books, and it's looking like the CCHA title is Notre Dame's to lose. Even though they are tied with Miami right now, the Irish have three games on hand - which means they could be nine points up on them, and with the one game on hand the Irish could be as many as seven up on Western Michigan. Not a bad spot for the Irish to be in right now.

CCHA Pairwise:

Here is how the CCHA teams stack up in the Pairwise at this point in the year:
4. Notre Dame
9. Miami
10. Western Michigan
20. Ohio State
27. Ferris State

It's still early, so there is a lot of time for teams to move up and down these rankings, but considering how good the CCHA was suppose to be this year, it would be somewhat of a disappointment to only see three teams make the NCAA tournament.

2. Western Michigan (11-4-1, LW: 2). Despite the split in Ann Arbor, Western Michigan is in position to make sure ND doesn't run away with the CCHA title.

3. Miami (11-3-4, LW: 3). Miami shows Ohio State what it takes to play in the top four.

4. LSSU (10-10-0, LW: 7). The Lakers have won three straight now and have a couple weeks off before they take on Union at home.

5. Michigan (6-9-2, LW: 5). The record might not be up to standards, but the win against Western may be the thing Michigan needed to get back on track.

6. Ferris State (7-7-3, LW: 4). They were in position to potentially steal some points out of Munn, but they came up short.

7. Ohio State (7-6-5, LW: 6). The Buckeyes only managed a single point at home in a big series - not the way they wanted to end the first half.

8. Alaska (6-8-4, LW: 8). The Nanooks have a tough start to their 2013 schedule - six of eight on the road with those six on the road being Michigan, Notre Dame, and Miami.

9. Michigan State (5-10-2, LW: 10). Finally, some offense, or at least enough offense. Now can it carry over to the GLI and to 2013?

10. Bowling Green (3-10-4, LW: 9). The Falcons still have on where to go but up.

11. Northern Michigan (5-10-3, LW: 11). Now is about the time Northern figures things out, but have they dug themselves in too deep of a hole?

Big Ten Power Rankings

1. Minnesota (11-3-3, LW: 1). An off weekend for the Gophers - they host Air Force and Boston College after Christmas.

2. Michigan (6-9-2, LW: 2). Next up: GLI - they are going for a 3rd straight GLI title. The last team to win three straight GLI titles was Michigan State from 1997 - 2000 (4 in a row).

3. Ohio State (7-6-5, LW: 3). Ohio State will look to get back on track in the Three River Classic - which actually means they play Miami next. A date with Penn State could be coming up in the tournament as well.

4. Michigan State (5-10-2, LW: 4). The Spartans go for their first GLI title since 2009.

5. Wisconsin (4-7-5, LW: 5). Alabama-Huntsville certainly helps you get back on track.

6. Penn State (7-8-0, LW: 6). Penn State's last Division 1 win was on November 10th against Air Force. They've lost five straight against D-1 teams since then.

Friday, December 14, 2012

The Michigan State Spartans come into this weekend still in search of offensive answers. The Spartans come into the weekend winless in six games (0-5-1), and they have only scored six goals in those six games - which includes two shutouts. As a result, Michigan State sits in a tie for ninth place with a 3-8-1-0 CCHA and 4-10-2 overall record.

The Ferris State Bulldogs are looking to reclaim last year's magic which put them in the national championship game before dropping a tough game against Boston College. Ferris currently is in fifth place in the CCHA with a 6-5-1-0 league mark and 7-6-3 overall mark. They are winless in three games (which oddly enough started after a win against Michigan), going 0-2-1 in their last 3 contests. Ferris State was swept by Western Michigan last weekend (4-2, 2-1).

﻿Ok, everyone knows that when things aren't working out too well, it's time to change up the superstitions. These previews have usually always been out by Thursday (if not before then). I'm fairly certain this is the first one that I've done on a Friday. In addition, I'll poke fun (albeit sometimes lamely) at the other school. Well, we're going to brag Ferris State up today. All in hopes that this is the mojo change. And yes, I'm well aware that no matter what I do - it doesn't impact the performance of the hockey team.

Ferris State started the season somewhat stronger than Michigan State. Ferris State beat Miami (shut them out). Ferris State also shut out Michigan. Ferris State went to the Frozen Four last year (and the national championship). Ferris State is the defending CCHA Champions (people might not remember this). Ferris State is coached by a Spartan (Bob Daniels). Ferris State is ranked 19th in the country.

Michigan State holds a 66-30-15 all-time record against Ferris State, and this includes a 38-16-6 edge at Munn. Ferris State has won four straight against MSU.

The game can be seen on Comcast Ch. 900 or heard on the Spartan Sports Network or 1240 AM. The puck is scheduled to drop at 5:05 pm on Saturday. This is the only game between the two teams this weekend. MSU will break for the holiday after this game - and return in action at the GLI on December 29th against Western Michigan.

Stats that make you go Hmmm...: This is the longest winless streak for Michigan State since a six-game winless streak from January 17, 2009 to February 6th 2009.. That streak saw MSU go 0-5-1. That streak was snapped with a 1-0 victory over........Ferris State.

Ferris State Leading Scorers:

Kyle Bonis 8 goals, 13 points

Garrett Thompson 6 goals, 12 points

Travis Ouellette 4 goals, 11 points

Cory Kane 4 goals, 10 points

Justin DeMartino 3 goals, 10 points

Jason Binkley 1 goal, 10 points

Goalies:

C.J. Motte 7-6-3, 2.20 GAA, .930 save %

Historically - this is not the type of team that lends themselves to helping you break out of an offensive slump. They will like to play a grind-it-out type game, a trap game, and if at all possible - a 2-1 game. That doesn't mean they don't have talent up front, but you usually don't see them in many 6-5 type games (reverse jinx!). This is a game where MSU will have to be patient - get traffic in front - and don't be afraid to pepper the goalie (but with traffic in front). They need to grind out some garbage type goals. First goal in this game will be huge - because it might be the only goal scored (reverse jinx!). I just don't see the offensive slump ending this weekend and don't be surprised if Motte puts up a shutout or a strong one GA game (I'm working under the theroy that this is like a no-hitter in baseball.....).

The lone ties in each case was a 3-3 tie to Niagara on October 20th and a 2-2 tie to Miami on November 16th. Once in awhile, you would think the exception would pop up, and maybe they are going to come down the road, but in the meantime, it shows just how the offensive struggles (and injuries on the team) have caused problems. In fact, Michigan State has only scored 1 goal (or less) in 8 of their 16 games this season. Think about that for a second: That means MSU would have to throw a shutout in order to get no worse than a tie!

For comparison sake - on defense:

When giving up 3 goals or more: 0-8-1
When giving up 2 goals or less: 4-2-1

Again, not shocking, but it shows that a handful of times, Michigan State has given up 2 goals or less and still failed to get a win:

Ohio State was an empty net goal away from falling into the second group. But I believe this again shows how the offense has been the issue.

Goaltending hasn't been an issue - Hildebrand, who maybe didn't get much attention from scouts or recruiting rankings, has been stellar in goal. He's 12th in the nation in GAA (1.911) and tied for 6th in the nation in save percentage (.940). Yanakeff might not have the numbers, but this weekend was a good example where he maybe gave up five goals, but he had little chance (if any) on most of them.

So the question becomes - what can we expect over the last 20 games?

More Home Games! Even though Michigan State still plays three of its next four games away from Munn Ice Arena, the Spartans still play only six true road games (2 at Ferris State, 2 at Alaska, 1 at Bowling Green, 1 at Michigan). They finish with 11 true home games, 6 road games, and 3 neutral ice games. January 11th begins a stretch where they play 9 of 12 at home. I'd say this would get MSU going a little bit on offense, but we have such a small sample size to work from. With that said, In the five games where MSU scored 3 or more goals, three of them happened at home. Health is a concern too. I'm not going to pretend that a flurry of goals is about to fall out of the sky in East Lansing, but sooner or later the puck is going to start going in - at least a little bit more. It has to - I can't just imagine a season in which 50% of a team's games would require them to post a shutout just to earn a tie.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

The Michigan State Spartans entered the weekend hoping to find an offensive spark and take some points away from #4/#5 Notre Dame all while ending a four game winless streak. Unfortunately for Michigan State, the puck didn't bounce their way as Notre Dame completed a two game sweep to send MSU home without any points on the weekend.

It was going to be a tough weekend considering the Spartans were on the road against one of the best and most experienced teams in the country. Things didn't get off to a good start as Notre Dame really dominated the opening period on Friday, but Jake Hildebrand played outstanding to keep MSU in the game. The key moment happened when Notre Dame's Anders Lee got hit with a five minute major and a game misconduct. Notre Dame killed the penalty off with some help of a penalty by Jake Chelios followed by another penalty on Matt Grassi. This gave the Irish a 4 on 3 advantage that they buried the puck to regain the lead and control of the game. Brent Darnell tallied both markers for Michigan State.

The second night started off much better for the Spartans - as they out-shot ND in the opening period, but Lee tallied a goal with just eight seconds to go in the period. Normally those goals are killer to give up, but the Spartans came out with more fire in the second period and really did a good job controlling the pace of play and getting opportunities. The problem was ND was finishing their chances, and Michigan State couldn't solve Summerhays. ND eventually built up a 5-0 lead before Berry ended the shutout with about 2:30 to go. It was a tough game to watch since MSU really deserved better in this one - and they certainly played better than a 5-1 loss. In the end though, Notre Dame took advantage of the mistakes MSU made, and a team like ND will do that.

Michigan State returns home for a single game on the 15th against Ferris State.

CCHA Standings

GP

W

L

T

SOW

Points

Total Points Possible

Notre Dame

10

9

1

0

0

27

81

Miami

12

7

3

2

2

25

73

Western Michigan

10

7

2

1

1

23

77

Ohio State

10

6

2

2

1

21

75

Ferris State

12

6

5

1

0

19

67

Alaska

14

4

7

3

1

16

58

LSSU

12

5

7

0

0

15

63

Michigan

11

3

6

2

2

13

64

Michigan State

12

3

8

1

0

10

58

Bowling Green

11

2

6

3

1

10

61

Northern Michigan

12

2

7

3

1

10

58

It's looking like the top four teams are starting to distance themselves from the pack. Notre Dame, Miami, Western Michigan, and Ohio State all hold the inside track for a top four spot. Ferris State, LSSU, and Michigan look to be in the next pack fighting for fifth place, and then you have Alaska, MSU, Bowling Green, and Northern Michigan at the bottom.

It's still early enough though where teams can finish anywhere, but right now Alaska, MSU, Bowling Green, and Northern have to really get things going to move up the standings. I still wonder if Ohio State can really hang on to a top four spot, but time will tell.

Notre Dame at Bowling Green
Northern Michigan at LSSU
Ferris State at Michigan State (Comcast)
Miami at Ohio State
Western Michigan at Michigan

There are quite a few interesting series this weekend - Western at Michigan, Miami at Ohio State headlines the weekend. Both of those can be seen on TV Friday as well. Also, this is the last weekend before the winter break. The next games after this are various holiday tournaments beginning on December 28th. Michigan State is in the GLI beginning December 29th.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Join us on Friday, December 7th at 6:30 pm for the live game blog for the Michigan State - Notre Dame game.
The game starts at 7:05 pm and can be seen on NBC Sports Network.
Doc Emrick and Pierre McGuire will be calling the action from South Bend.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Before the normal glance at this weekend's opponent - if you haven't seen the Spartan Hockey All Access from earlier this week, I would highly recommend it (focuses on the Michigan series):

Spartan Hockey All-Access - Michigan Series

Here Come the Irish:

Football isn't the only thing in South Bend that has been successful this year. The hockey team is having a pretty good year as well.

Michigan State hopes to rebound after a frustrating weekend at home, but things won't be easy for the Spartans as they travel to #4/5 ranked Notre Dame. The Spartans haven't won in four games (0-3-1) scoring only three goals in those games. Michigan State is now tied for 9th place with Northern Michigan.

Notre Dame comes into the weekend in second place in the CCHA with a 7-1-0-0 CCHA and 11-4-0 overall mark. They are only one point behind league leading Miami with two games on hand. The Irish have won three in a row and five of their last six games. The good news for Spartan fans is three of their four losses have been at home (Minnesota-Duluth, Western Michigan, and North Dakota).

Notre Dame has a bit of an odd schedule, as the Irish play Michigan State in four of their next six games. The two teams play again in East Lansing on January 11th and 12th.

Michigan State holds a 60-39-4 edge in the all-time series.

Notre Dame now holds a 25-22-7 edge in South Bend.

At one point Notre Dame held an 11 game unbeaten streak against MSU that started in January of 2008. The streak (0-8-3) ending last February as Michigan State won 4-2 in South Bend.

Highlights From The Last Meeting, a 4-2 Michigan State Victory

MSU's four game winless streak is the longest such streak under Tom Anastos.

If you aren't to the point that you don't like the Irish - I present you exhibit 'A' to dislike them, it isn't the Notre Dame victory march, it isn't Rudy, it isn't Brian Kelly, or the fact that you think they are going to get rolled by Alabama - it's for someone producing this:

Sorry.

National TV

Friday's game will be on national TV on the NBC Sports Network starting at 7:05 pm. Saturday's game can be seen on Comcast (Channel 900) at 7:05 pm. Both games can be heard on 1240 am or on The Spartan Sports Network.

The Irish power play is 11 for 70 (15.7%)
The Irish penalty kill is 53 for 58 (91.4%), and they are only penalized on average 12.5 minutes a game.

The Spartan power play is ranked 11th in the country, but it'll be tested this weekend against a very tough and experienced Notre Dame team. The penalty kill has killed off 18 straight power plays. The Spartan PK is ranked 11th in the country as well.

Notre Dame has outscored teams 28-10 this year in the first and third periods combined. The second period they have only managed to outscore teams 18-15. The Irish are 7-2 this year when scoring the first goal, and they are 7-0 when leading after the first period.

Final Thoughts

The Spartans are looking to find some offense. Case in point, Jake Hildebrand ranks second in the CCHA with a .942 save % (fourth nationally) - and in his four losses this year, MSU has scored a total of one goal.

Enter one of the best defensive teams in the country as well as one of the most experienced teams in the league. It won't be easy, but the Spartans are going to have to limit their mistakes in order to come away with some points in this series. The effort should be there, it usually is, but Notre Dame will take advantage of any potential breakdowns on offense or on defense (much like Ohio State did last weekend).

It's going to be tough for Michigan State, but scoring first is crucial in this series. Force Notre Dame to play from behind, which might force them to open it up a little bit especially late. The Spartans haven't done well lately against Notre Dame in recent years, but they did win the last game between the two teams.

Notre Dame doesn't always light the scoreboard up, but they are capable. This series is going to be challenging on the same level that Minnesota was. If the Spartans get a great game in goal, continue to work hard, they should be in the game, but it's going to be about going to the net more and working for the garbage goals more than last weekend. If they can do that, then you never know what can happen.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Michigan State finally returned home for the first time in what felt like a year - only to drop a couple of tight games against Ohio State. It's not exactly the weekend anyone in the green and white wanted - but it happened.

This weekend across the CCHA sweeps seemed to be the rule, as the top teams in the league really are starting to make a statement (Notre Dame, Miami, and Western). Time will tell whether or not Ohio State can be included in that conversation, but the Buckeyes are hanging around for now.

York Matches Mason

Boston College defeated Boston University last night by a 5-2 score. This win gave Jerry York his 924th career coaching victory - which ties him with Ron Mason for most all-time wins. York could have passed Mason last night had BC defeated BU on Friday. Boston College plays at Providence on Friday.

Around The League

LSSU at Notre Dame. The Irish continued their winning ways beating LSSU 3-2, 6-1.Miami at Alaska. The Nanooks probably were hoping for a better result, but Miami dominated play all weekend long in a 5-2 and 4-0 win.

Northern Michigan at Western Michigan. The road woes continue for Northern as Western swept the Wildcats in Kalamazoo (4-2, 1-0).

Michigan at Ferris State. In the only non-sweep of the weekend, Ferris State beat Michigan like a drum on Friday - 5-0. The Wolverines held a 3-1 lead on Saturday, but they couldn't hold on in a 3-3 tie. Michigan earned the extra point in a shoot-out to earn two of the series six points.

CCHA Standings

GP

W

L

T

SOW

Points

Total Points Possible

Miami

10

6

2

2

2

22

76

Notre Dame

8

7

1

0

0

21

81

Ohio State

10

6

2

2

1

21

75

Ferris State

10

6

3

1

0

19

73

Western Michigan

8

5

2

1

1

17

77

Alaska

12

4

6

2

0

14

62

Michigan

11

3

6

2

2

13

64

LSSU

10

4

6

0

0

12

66

Michigan State

10

3

6

1

0

10

64

Northern Michigan

12

2

7

3

1

10

58

Bowling Green

9

1

6

2

1

6

63

Games This Week:

Tuesday, December 4th:

Michigan Tech at Northern MichiganFriday, December 7th:
LSSU at Miami
Michigan State at Notre Dame (NBCSN)
Bowling Green at Alaska
Ferris State at Western Michigan
Robert Morris at Ohio State

Saturday, December 8th:

LSSU at Miami
Michigan State at Notre Dame (Comcast)
Bowling Green at Alaska
Ferris State at Western Michigan
Ohio State at Robert Morris

Michigan, Northern Michigan, and Ohio State take the weekend off from CCHA action (Michigan and Northern have the weekend off all together). Ferris State and Western looks like a potential great series in K-Zoo. Michigan State will have their hands full in South Bend.

CCHA Power Rankings:

The power rankings seem to be getting a wee bit more stable at this time of the year. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise considering the league is starting to separate a little bit .
1. Notre Dame (11-3-0, LW: 1). Another weekend sweep for the Irish. They've won five in a row in the CCHA. Oddly enough, four of their next six games will be against Michigan State.

2. Miami (9-2-3, LW: 2). Miami did a great job out west - now they'll need to put the Alaska hangover to rest with a home series coming up followed by a big series in Columbus.

3. Western Michigan (8-3-1, LW: 3). I'm not sure anyone has noticed that Western is 8-3-1. They'll need to get through this weekend before a big series in Ann Arbor.

4. Ferris State (7-4-3, LW: 4). A win & tie against a struggling Michigan team is enough to keep them here. They'll have a chance to prove themselves worthy of a potential CCHA title discussion this week.

5. Ohio State (7-4-3, LW: 5). An impressive showing in East Lansing this weekend. Now the Buckeyes go outside of the CCHA as a Miami series looms.

6. Michigan (5-8-2, LW: 10). I'm not sure Michigan deserves to move up this much, but from here on down right now - it's tough to figure any of these teams out.

7. Alaska (6-7-3, LW: 6). It wasn't so much they got swept, but that Miami dominated them at home.

8. LSSU (7-9-0, LW: 7). A tough road series at Notre Dame. It doesn't get any easier as Miami is up next.

9. Michigan State (4-8-2, LW: 9). The Spartans are looking for answers - scoring answers - as they have only tallied three goals in their last four games.

10. Northern Michigan (5-8-3, LW: 8). Northern can't really figure out the road thing (1-6-1), but they still are tough at home (4-2-2).

11. Bowling Green (2-9-3, LW: 11). Let's see how the Falcons respond with a week off as they make the long trek West.

Big 10 Power Rankings

1. Minnesota (10-3-2, LW: 1). They may have lost at home to UNO, but they are still the best in the Big 10.

2. Ohio State (7-4-3, LW: 2). The Buckeyes don't look to be going away right now.

3. Michigan (5-8-2, LW: 5). Again, I'm not sure they deserve to move up, but it's more like they weren't as bad as everyone else.

4. Michigan State (4-8-2, LW: 3). Christmas wish list: Goals.

5. Wisconsin (2-7-3, LW: 6). A win & tie at Denver is better than anything Penn State has done at this point.

6. Penn State (6-5-0, LW: 4). A split against Arizona State doesn't look good since they are a club team, but club teams can still play good hockey. They face Holy Cross away from home this weekend.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Again, it's not for a lack of effort - the Spartans battled hard for 60 minutes. In fact, Michigan State did a better job of getting to the net, but Brady Hjelle played very well in net again tonight stopping 21 of 22 shots he faced.

The first period started out pretty well for Michigan State. The Spartans were attacking the net with some success, making Hjelle make a handful of tough saves. Chris Forfar then powered a shot between his legs to give Michigan State a 1-0 lead, and ending a scoring drought that lasted 160 minutes and 27 seconds. John Draeger and goaltender Jake Hildebrand got the assists on the play. The first period ended that way with Ohio State holding an 11-10 edge on shots.

The second period looked a little similar to yesterday, as Ohio State got stronger as the game progressed. Unlike last night though, the Buckeyes managed to solve Jake Hildebrand in the middle period. Both on plays to the front of the net, the first from Tanner Fritz 6:50 into the middle stanza, and then Tyler Lundey at the 18:55 mark. Ohio State took a 2-1 lead into the 2nd intermission, but Michigan State held the edge on shots 19-18. The Spartans did have a couple chances in the period, but either they missed the net or Hjelle was there.

The final period saw some chances at both ends - including a mini-break away for Michigan State that Hjelle once again stopped. Ohio State hit the post early on in the period, but then they took a couple late penalties that gave Michigan State a chance. The first came with about seven minutes to go in regulation, but the Spartan power play had some problems settling a bouncing puck down. Michigan State kept pressing though, and the pressure nearly paid off with just over one minute to go as a bouncing puck found its way behind Hjelle, but tipped off the post. Ohio State was then penalized for too many men on the ice, and Michigan State had a power play over the final 41 seconds.

Michigan State got some initial pressure on the two man advantage (6x4), but the puck was eventually stolen, and Tyler Lundey buried the empty net goal to put the game away and give Ohio State a 3-1 win in front of 6,115 fans.

Things don't get much easier for the Spartans either, as they travel down to South Bend for a pair of games next weekend - as Michigan State is now looking to end a four game winless streak.

Across the Country

A lot of games are in progress right now. Notre Dame is destroying LSSU late in the 3rd period by a 6-1 score. Michigan and Ferris State are tied at 3 late in regulation. Western Michigan finished off its sweep of Northern Michigan with a 1-0 win. Alaska and Miami play later tonight.

Across the country - Boston College holds a 4-1 lead over BU. If that score holds, Jerry York will tie Ron Mason on the all-time career coaching wins list.

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